Something I have always struggled with was memorizing large passages of text. I struggled in school when we had to memorize passages from Romeo and Juliet, and the Declaration of Independence. I remember working really hard on it, pacing in the backyard, reciting it over and over again. What I didn’t know then was all that hard work was placing that text in my long term memory. I can to this day (perhaps with a little prompting) recite the famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. But it was very painful for me to learn it, and very time consuming. In order for me to remember it, I had to BECOME Juliet, had to feel her emotions as she was pouring her heart out “Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou, Romeo?”. I have spent most of my adult life avoiding memorizing things, because I just don’t have a good memory. I write lists, use my day timer calendar, send myself reminders, and use post-it notes. Because I just DON’T REMEMBER. So this summer, Pastor Eddie has challenged the staff to memorize a passage of scripture together. A LONG passage. I knew this was going to be tough for me. But, I am a team player so I set to work on it right away. I printed it off, and placed copies all over the place. I spend my time in the shower trying to get it right. I have typed it out, and hand written it several times. It is going to take a lot of work for me to commit this to memory. But it is words that are very helpful to have in my mind, words that are transformative to my very soul. I have found myself meditating on the words, trying to picture them. I have already spent a lot of time with this passage in Philippians, and can quote some parts of it, but putting it all together is still out of my reach. This is a task that is out of my comfort zone. But God frequently calls us to work outside the places we feel most safe – how else can we grow? Trinity’s summer theme is GROW TOGETHER. I feel that this summer memorizing this passage will grow me closer to God. I am going to challenge you – if I can do it, you can! Find the area you are weak in, and GROW it! Pick an activity that you can feel closer to God, and DO it! Don’t get lazy this summer, and put it off. Join me and start today!